


House of Memories

by grahamhannah53



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Based On A Panic! At The Disco Song, But sasuke is def a creep, F/M, Kage Bunshin | Shadow Clones, M/M, NaruSasuSaku - Freeform, Other, Smut, So maybe the sanin were also pervs for each other?, Songfic, Threesome - F/M/M, booty squeezes help to reunite narusasusaku, naruto and sakura got dem nice booties, sasuke is the missing-nin center of a leaf-shinobi sandwich
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 08:13:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21051158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grahamhannah53/pseuds/grahamhannah53
Summary: There was something built between the three of them-- Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura-- that existed only when they were together. Any other time, it was something imagined, dancing in the shadows of eyelashes and the gentle thump of a heartbeat, hardly worthy of note. Invisible, impossible, inconceivable. But when the three of them stood face to face…That something, that mirage made of a myriad of memories, formed a something of a house. It was a mansion, separating them and yet connecting them so intimately that there was no denying the fact that they were three facets of the same soul(This takes place after Sasuke leaves the village, but then stuff goes the way I personally wanted it to. Sorry, canon, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This song grabbed me by the front of my shirt and shook its fist at me until I agreed to write this fic, and honestly it's gonna be posted unedited and raw, but I actually think it might be okay, maybe even better this way, so here goes. Enjoy!

*****

** _"If you're a lover, you should know the lonely moments just get lonelier_ **

** _The longer you're in love_ **

** _Than if you were alone._ **

** _Memories turned into daydreams become a taboo."_ **

*****

There was something built between the three of them-- Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura-- that existed only when they were together. Any other time, it was something imagined, dancing in the shadows of eyelashes and the gentle thump of a beating heart , hardly worthy of note. Invisible, impossible, inconceivable. But when the three of them stood face to face… 

That something, that mirage made of a myriad of memories, formed a something of a house. It was a mansion, separating them and yet connecting them so intimately that there was no denying the fact that they were three facets of the same soul.

At least, that's how Sakura liked to think of it. 

In reality, it was much less graceful. They'd…  _ experimented _ together as children. They'd been green-horned genin, full of all these  _ feelings _ and  _ urges  _ and all the other lovely things that come with adolescence, and yet despite their youth and inexperience, Sakura liked to think those were the times that mattered the most in shaping who they truly were to each other. Those fleeting, stolen moments in Naruto's two-room dorm, with just the three of them and their wandering hands and their passionate laughter-- yes, that was who Sasuke and Naruto would always be to her. Not the traitor to the village and the Jinchuriki. Just Sasuke and Naruto. The boys she loved.

Ah, yes, love. What use was that to a shinobi? Sasuke called it weakness, Naruto called it a reason to live-- Sakura wasn't really sure if either of them were right about it. What she  _ did  _ know was that she sure as hell wouldn't feel as lonely if she weren't in love already. Being alone and lonely is manageable, she thought, if only because then there is at least hope, or a point at which one is well and truly alone. Sakura and Naruto had no such thing-- they were trapped in a never-ending cycle of grief and loss with no hope for closure. 

_ "He's gone,"  _ Sakura had told Naruto all that time ago, trying to convince both him and herself of her words.  _ "He's not coming back." _

_ "We can't know that with any certainty,"  _ Naruto had replied, knuckles frighteningly white as he gripped Sasuke's scratched headband.  _ "I won't rest until we get him back." _

Neither of them had.

The only thing that Sakura relied on now for comfort and company was hard work and the occasional daydream of a memory. She could wander around in her memories for hours and never tire-- it was  _ their _ memories,  _ their  _ little house of reverie, turned into a dark, twisted mansion in the harsh light of the present. Sometimes touring that mansion was painful, sometimes it was pleasurable, but it was always what Sakura did at the end of every day. She took comfort in knowing that she could withstand anything Itatchi's Mangekyo Sharingan had to offer, if it came to that-- she raked her own mind over hot coals every day that she lived. What could he possibly think of to hurt her that she hadn't already?

"Sakura-chan!" A voice called from across the hospital as the blond hurricane that owned it came into view, breaking her away from her thoughts. "It's time for your break! Come to Ichiraku's with Hinata and I, my treat."

Naruto had been seeing Hinata for some time now. Whether he realized it or not, Sakura wasn't exactly sure-- Naruto had never been very bright at relationships to begin with-- but she was surprisingly okay with it, if a little deflated. If she, Sasuke, and Naruto couldn't work out, she certainly wasn't going to begrudge Naruto any happiness he could find outside of that. It had even inspired her to spend a few nights with Rock Lee, which were very nice despite the fact that she nearly cried with relief when he said he'd wanted to break things off in favor of courting the Kazekage.

However okay that might be, though, Sakura wasn't exactly ready to sit with one of the men she loved while he was on a date with another woman. It was the principle of the thing. So, as usual, she brushed him off with the same reply. 

"I'm busy saving lives, Naruto. Death and war take no breaks, so neither do I."

The hurt in those sapphire eyes stabbed something deep within Sakura, but she shoved it down with all the malevolence she could muster. She was in pain too, even if she didn't display it as readily as Naruto. 

"You shouldn't work so hard," he replied in a small, defeated voice, reaching out to touch her elbow with aching gentleness. "Even you need a break sometimes. I worry about you."

_ Damn _ .

"Fine," Sakura sighed, pulling off her gloves. "But only for a little while. I really do have a job, you know."

Just like that, Naruto lit up the room with a thousand-watt smile. 

"Thank you, Sakura-chan, we'll be brief!" he gushed, taking her hand. "I just wanted to spend some time with you."

Sakura couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. She missed Naruto-- he was away with Jiraiya for months at a time, and Sakura didn't get to see him very often with her crazy work schedule, but no matter how strong he got, he was still the same boy that Kakashi-sensei had poked in the ass on Training Ground 3.

Maybe ramen wasn't such a bad idea after all


	2. Chapter 2

*****

** _"I don't want to be afraid_ **

** _The deeper that I go,_ **

** _It takes my breath away_ **

** _Soft hearts electric souls_ **

** _Heart to heart and eyes to eyes_ **

** _Is this taboo?"_ **

*****

Naruto wished Sakura would let go of the burden she carried around with her everywhere she went. She still smiled, she still laughed, and she was most certainly still Sakura, but in the stillness and silence that followed joy and laughter, he could see the weight of what almost was crease her brow and slump her shoulders. He hated to see her in pain, but he didn't know how to fix it. After all, it was the same weight he felt settle over him now that she had gone back to the hospital, leaving him to sit beside Hinata, who was the only person Naruto ever told about…  _ them _ . 

"She feels it too," Hinata commented as if she could read his thoughts, slurping up a noodle. "It's going to kill both of you if you don't learn to cope."

"I don't want to cope," he replied, staring into his bowl. "She obviously doesn't either. We want him back. It's just-- life without him doesn't make any sense."

Hinata nodded gently, understanding. "I think you two should talk, though. Even if Sasuke isn't in the picture, maybe the two of you can figure out something together."

That idea was something Naruto had contemplated at length, but Sakura didn't seem very inclined to talk about their past at all. Every time he brought it up, she shot it down, and he went home alone and lonely, just like he would once he and Hinata finished their meal. It was a depressing thought, but that avenue remained as closed to him as everything else had been in the last little while. Nevertheless, he entertained the possibility of it for a while, discussing the ins and outs of it with the Hyūga heiress. 

As it usual, it was late by the time Naruto and Hinata finished talking. Out of courtesy and a tiny shred of guilt for burdening others with his problems, Naruto paid up and they took their separate routes home, giving Naruto far too much time with his own thoughts than was good for him. Which, all things considered, was actually pretty funny since the popular opinion was that he still didn't think very much at all. In fact, if he recalled correctly, Sasuke had a habit of addressing Naruto as "baka" more often than he did Naruto's actual name. 

(Truthfully, the name-calling used to bother him a bit, but at this point, Sasuke could call Naruto whatever he wanted as long as he would just come back to the village.)

_ Home sweet home _ , Naruto thought as he opened the door to his room. It didn't feel much like home anymore, but then again, nowhere did. It was all very much like aches and pains from a phantom limb-- only from a missing friend, not a missing appendage. Even wiping the dust from his picture of Team Seven was gut-wrenching. 

Looking at the three of them plus Kakashi-sensei, Naruto felt many things. There was fondness and love, heartbreak and pain, but strangely, the strongest emotion he felt was fear. Fear that they would never get Sasuke back, fear that Sakura would never smile quite like that again, fear that Kakashi would blame himself-- fear from every angle, every aspect of his life. It wasn't an emotion that he was familiar with or used to. In truth, it acted as a sedative, making him slow and sluggish. Every action he took these days was a reaction, not a deliberate move, and he seemed to be losing ground to that terror every day. 

He sat the picture down, sighing. Where did it all go? All that they had? It had been the best thing in Naruto's life at the time. He finally had people that cared about him, and they kissed him and hugged him and made him feel like he mattered, and now… Now, all that was gone. All that was left were his memories.

But what memories they were!

Here, in this very room, on the very bed where Naruto sat, the three of them had been electric. He remembered the heat of Sasuke's gaze as he watched Naruto kiss Sakura, the way Naruto's belly would flip every time he watched Sasuke tease Sakura's nipples, even the awkward, post-coital discussion about whether or not what they were doing was normal, natural-- it was all so very real at the time, and yet if he didn't have the distinct memory of what it felt like to have Sasuke suck him off while he fingered Sakura burned into his mind, Naruto would wonder if he'd dreamt it.

God, just thinking about it had him half hard. Sakura and Sasuke took his breath away as much in memory as they had in reality. Often, Naruto had wondered how in the world he'd managed to find the two prettiest shinobi in all of Konoha, hell, the whole world, and actually convinced them to sleep with him. Not that it mattered-- he didn't have to understand it to enjoy it. 

What Naruto wouldn't give to have that again, just the three of them, but this time older, wiser, more experienced and confident. Naruto wondered if he would live through the experience, or if pleasure would put him out of his misery. Death by orgasm wasn't the worst way he could think of to go, that was for certain. The idea of it was so enticing that if Naruto thought about it any more deeply, he might as well give up trying to pretend that he wasn't actually quite willing to die for just one more chance to kiss Sasuke. 

_ Maybe I really should talk to Sakura-chan,  _ he mused, fluffing out a pillow and ignoring his hard-on.  _ There must be something we can do.  _

That night, as every other night before that, he resolved to at least try to get Sakura to stand still long enough to talk even a little, even if it was just him doing the talking. After all, it's supposed to be healthy to confide in those one cares about. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there will eventually be less angst and more Sasuke-- bear with me!


	3. Chapter 3

*****

** _"Baby we built this house_ **

** _On memories._ **

** _Take my picture now,_ **

** _Shake it til you see it._ **

** _And when your fantasies_ **

** _Become your legacy_ **

** _Promise me a place_ **

** _In your house of memories."_ **

*****

Sakura should have said no when Naruto asked her if they could talk over dinner on her weekend off. She had known better than to give in to that temptation, but something about the desperation in his eyes made her reconsider. They had both been in pain for so long… how bad could it be to go out together and let go of all the things she had been clenching so tightly for all this time? If Naruto was willing to try, she should be too.

That's how they ended up traveling a good distance outside of the village to find somewhere to eat-- far enough to be discreet, close enough to respond if something were to happen. The air outside of Konoha was light and cool, and Sakura wondered if she hadn't been smothering beneath the village's protective wings. She loved Konoha more than her life (literally), but this was a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the hospital. Naruto seemed to be enjoying himself as well-- his brilliant smile was ever present, and he looked at Sakura like she was something precious. 

Of course, they both shoved down the small part of their minds that knew that there had been word of Orochimaru's-- and therefore Sasuke's-- presence close by. They hadn't meant to travel this far, but it had been Sakura's suggestion to let their feet take them wherever they felt like going. Perhaps their subconscious had pulled them toward what they both longed for, or maybe fate just had a twisted sense of humor, but that wasn't important for the time being. What _ was _important was the two of them, how they felt(surprisingly happy), and what they wanted (each other).

At least, it wasn't important until it was.

Naruto saw him first. Sakura's back was to him, but when all the blood drained from Naruto's face, she knew exactly what he'd seen. The pain, the shock, the flash of fear-- there was no mistaking his reaction for anything else. Slowly, she reached a hand across the table to grab onto Naruto's hand, steadying him even as she steadied herself. Now wasn't a good time for them to lose their composure-- if Sasuke was here and they saw him, it was because he wanted to be seen, and that could be great or terrible. 

Sakura almost hoped it would be terrible. That, at least, she was prepared for. Anything else would be uncharted territory, and she wasn't in the mood for exploration. 

"You." Naruto's voice was a hoarse whisper of a snarl, buried under layers and layers of emotion. 

Sakura stiffened as she heard that achingly familiar voice behind her.

"Me."

"What are you doing here?" Naruto growled, his hurt morphed into quiet anger, and Sakura could feel his hand tremble beneath hers. 

"Tch. I'm not a prisoner, I can roam about as I like. Surely that can't come as a shock," Sasuke replied, haughty as ever. "I could ask the same question of you, Naruto. You're the one who's far from home."

"Am I?"

Those words smacked Sakura in the chest as hard as they were meant to smack Sasuke. She hadn't moved an inch or so much as acknowledged Sasuke's presence up until that moment, but she withdrew her hand from Naruto's to place it gently in her lap. Valiantly, she fought her tears with everything she had, biting the inside of her cheek hard enough for it to bleed. She would not break. She would not break. _ She would not break _. 

"Yes, you are." Sasuke's voice was cold, impassive. Then, quietly, he spoke again, this time almost mocking. "Sakura. You're uncharacteristically quiet-- don't tell me you've forgotten me already. I certainly remember you."

"I have nothing to say to you." In fact, she hadn't meant to speak at all, but the words tore through her chest and out of her mouth before she could stop them. 

"I see."

Suddenly, something occurred to Sakura like a puzzle piece snapping into place. She and Naruto should have been able to feel Sasuke's presence the moment they stepped into the restaurant-- so why didn't they? Unless… unless he wasn't really there at all. 

It was a shadow clone.

"Sakura and I are on a date," Naruto spoke gently, surprising Sakura. His rage seemed to have simmered down to something manageable, which was both comforting and frightening. "We came here on a whim, not for you, but if you want to have it out, at least let's take it away from these civilians. It'd be a shame to have to explain any casualties to Tsunade."

"I didn't come here for a fight either."

Sakura barked a laugh. Slowly, she stood from where she sat, gathering chakra in her fist. She turned to look at Sasuke, and he took her breath away. Like Naruto, he'd gotten so _ tall _\-- she felt dwarfed standing beside him-- and he was as lovely as ever. Nevertheless, the anger that raged inside Sakura only grew with each passing moment, and she knew what she was going to do. 

"Well, even if you weren't looking for one, you have certainly found one," Sakura ground out, making eye contact with the clone. "If you can't do us the decency of actually showing up, find someone else to torment."

With that, she threw a punch that she knew could turn the thickest part of a tree into a mountain of splinters, and Sasuke's clone's eyes went wide with shock just before it dissipated in a plume of smoke. 

Naruto was frowning as Sakura took her seat. He seemed to be as numb as she was about it, trying to process what had just happened. 

"Do you think he hates us?" Sakura asked after a while, staring at the plate of food that had grown cold in front of her. 

Naruto shrugged. "I don't want to think so, but that… that was unnecessarily cruel."

And it was. It tore open so many old wounds that Sakura felt like she was bleeding on the inside. 

"Come home with me tonight," Naruto urged, grabbing Sakura's hand across the table. "Please. I don't think I can be alone right now, and even though you're the strongest person I know, I don't think you need to be alone either."

Sakura hesitated, but she knew he was right. They needed to be there to support one another, no matter what. 

"Alright, but I need to stop by and get some of my things."

"You can just sleep in my clothes, and I have spare toothbrushes," Naruto replied, standing to leave. "My place is closer to the outside of town anyways."

Then, as was his habit, Naruto did the impossible:

He smiled. 

Unable to resist, Sakura put forth a little smile of her own and reclaimed his hand. They made their way to Konoha like that, hand in hand, and Sakura figured things might be okay after all. Sasuke was gone, that was true, but she and Naruto could still be happy if they tried. The world didn't revolve around one man, and if it did, that man certainly wouldn't be Sasuke. There was so much more to life than just that, and Sakura, for the first time in a long time, was resolved to find the silver lining in it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter is sasuke's pov.... buckle up, my buttercups!


	4. Chapter 4

*****

** _"I think of you from time to time,_ **

** _More than I thought I would._ **

** _You were just too kind,_ **

** _And I was too young to know_ **

** _That's all that really matters._ **

** _I was a fool."_ **

*****

Sasuke was never one for much sentimentality, but damn if that punch hadn't hurt in more ways than one. That rage, that violence, he would expect from Naruto, but  _ Sakura?  _ And since when could she hit that hard? Chakra-infused strength wasn't a rarity among ninja, but to concentrate enough of it in one area to cause that much damage… her chakra control would have to be otherworldly. She had grown much since they'd been apart-- and, judging by his reaction, so had Naruto. 

Surprisingly, Sasuke felt quite contrite about the whole thing. Naruto and Sakura had seemed truly happy before they'd noticed his clone, chatting back and forth happily as though they were just fine without him. And why wouldn't they be? Sasuke had deserted them ages ago in search of power-- any sane, healthy person would have moved on by now, just as Naruto and Sakura had seemed to do. In fact, before they noticed him, they'd seemed happier than anyone Sasuke had seen for a long time.

Maybe that just furthered the point that Sasuke was, in fact, a little less stable than he had been led to believe, because he ached with longing for them every moment of every day that he lived. 

Truthfully, when he left the village, Sasuke hadn't thought he'd think of the two of them as often as he did-- he'd never felt like they even mattered all that much before. Sure, Naruto and Sakura had been kind to him-- too kind-- but ultimately, Sasuke had considered any attachment he'd had to them to be superfluous at best and a liability at worst. In short, he'd been a fool, too young to know that the kindness they'd shown him, their love, their openness, were the only things that mattered in the world, and he'd thrown it away like so much garbage. 

A fool, yes, that's what Sasuke was. He'd almost wished he'd been standing there in front of Sakura instead of his clone. He deserved no less than to be put out of his misery. He couldn't even see his exes (if they were even that?) in public without walking up and disrupting their evening like a jackass-- what kind of person was he supposed to be? 

Still, Sasuke wished he could have spent more time there with them, just to see what he'd missed out on. Just from that brief encounter, he could see that Naruto had grown taller and more muscular, and that Sakura had developed into a more womanly shape-- the both of them had always been attractive, but they'd been "look how cute" attractive as genin. Now that they were older, they were "please bend me over/let me bend you over" attractive, and Sasuke didn't quite know what to do with that information. He wondered if Sakura would still thread her fingers through his hair and pull him into lazy kisses at the end of a hard day, or if Naruto would massage the knots in his back until they loosened-- he wondered if Naruto still liked to sing in the shower, and if Sakura still loved to eat cheesecake more than anything else.

Mostly, Sasuke wanted to know if they still loved him at all, even a little, or if they had written him off entirely. 

In the sea of uncertainties and "if"s and "but"s that had become their relationship, there was one thing Sasuke  _ did _ know. That is, he needed to see them again, somehow, some way, and soon. That moment of conversation he'd had with them had sparked a hunger deep inside him that Sasuke knew couldn't be sated with anything other than what he couldn't currently have. For the sake of the shreds of sanity he still had left, he needed to convince Naruto and Sakura that there was still something besides memories between them. Otherwise, Sakura would put that fist through his face for real next time. 

But how?

Surely, Orochimaru would understand if Sasuke told him-- Sasuke hadn't been lying when he'd told Naruto that he wasn't a prisoner-- and Orochimaru might even have some useful insight, as Sasuke understood that his lord had once had a similar relationship with the other two Sanin. But no, that could turn out badly, couldn't it? Naruto and Sakura could be used as leverage against him to keep him obedient. Or worse, killed simply because they were a distraction. No, this required more subtlety, more thought and planning. 

With that, his genius Uchiha brain began to plot and strategize, and Sasuke knew that he could think his way out of this if he only tried hard enough. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the angst and sad sasuke.... idk how I'm even writing this or what I'm expecting to come out of it but I at least hope yall are kind of enjoying it....


	5. Chapter 5

*****

** _"Those thoughts of past lovers_ **

** _They'll always haunt me."_ **

*****

" _ Sakura-chan _ , you know we have to go back," Naruto reasoned, trying to keep his head while Sakura was prancing around his room in his shirt and nothing else. 

"No, we don't,  _ Naruto-kun _ ," she sighed, sniffing his (evidently expired) carton of milk before throwing it away. "We actually probably need to report the incident to the Hokage and wash our hands of it."

"I've been doing some thinking, and--"

"Thinking? Since when, like the five seconds after we took care of your morning wood?"

Naruto hopped up from the bed, crossed the room in two strides, and wrapped each of Sakura's legs around his waist so that she was too close to his face to ignore him or deflect his statements. Gently, he knocked his forehead against hers and stared into the lovely emerald of her eyes. 

"I've been doing a  _ lot  _ of thinking about this, Sakura, and not just since last night. I think that he misses us," Naruto admitted, heat rising to his face at the words. "I think he's lonely."

Sakura scoffed. "And? It's not like he gave a fuck when we were hurt and lonely and afraid. I'm done with it-- with  _ him _ ."

"That's a lie," Naruro sighed. "And I know that because I've been watching you work yourself to an early grave at the hospital, spend your nights alone, and isolate yourself from any and every human being that you think  _ might  _ have a pulse. It's killing you, Sakura. It's killing me. And, I may be off my rocker, but I'd be willing to bet that it's killing him too."

Sakura had no response. She only embraced Naruto, burying her head in his neck. 

"We should go back next weekend."

"I don't want to." Sakura's voice had assumed that thin, wavering quality that she got right before she started crying. "I want to move on, I want to make things be different, I want…"

She sniffled, then started to cry. It broke Naruto's heart, the way she sobbed-- it was raw, bleeding, and terrible-- but he just took them both back to the bed, never letting go of her for an instant.

"I don't think we  _ can  _ move on," he told her gently, wiping at her tears with his thumb. "If we could have, we would have. He will  _ always  _ haunt us unless we do something about it. Here we are, and he's even made the first move. It's time to make things right."

"We can't make things right," Sakura sniffled, wiping her nose with the too-long sleeve of Naruto's shirt. "We weren't the ones who did anything wrong. He abandoned us, and only he can fix it back like it's supposed to be."

"But how can he do that if we don't give him the opportunity?" Naruto prodded, raising a hand to cup Sakura's cheek. "Did you notice how he didn't gloat or make a jab at me  _ one time _ ? I mean, he was still Sasuke, but he was never snide."

Sakura paused, considering, and then she shrugged. "Yeah?"

Naruto smiled, pulling her to him."I think he's trying to make amends."

"If that were the case, he'd just come back to the village," Sakura countered into his chest.

Naruto snorted. "And face imprisonment, and possibly death? Not likely."

Sakura sighed, and Naruto knew he'd convinced her. "So what do you suggest we do, then?"

"Make it a habit to eat dango outside of the village on Friday nights whenever you're free," Naruto replied with a grin. "And then we come back to my place--"

Sakura smacked him, but a smile played at her lips. "You're a little presumptuous. What will Hinata say?"

"Hinata?" Naruto wasn't really sure what the Hyūga heiress had to do with sex after dango… 

Sakura gave him a look that said  _ 'you really are an idiot'.  _ "Aren't you two seeing each other?"

"What? No, that's ridiculous," Naruto laughed. "She's just a good friend to me. I can trust her, y'know?"

"Oh." Sakura's voice was small, and she was blushing sheepishly like she had as a genin every time Sasuke breathed. "Well, that's… good I guess?"

With a mischievous grin, Naruto placed a wet, smacking kiss on her cheek, despite her efforts to bat him away. "Like I could have eyes for any other woman than my Sakura-chan."

"Shut up, you goofball!"

"What do you say, my sweet Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, peppering her face with kisses. "Will you go out with me again the next Friday you have off?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, but kissed him firmly on the mouth in response, and Naruto couldn't keep the smile off of his face. 

They were going to make things right, no matter what it took. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to figure out where I want to go with this... got a few options bouncing around in my head. The one thing I DO know is the next chapter will be the beginning of some reconciliation!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to write, but it's also obnoxiously long compared to the previous ones so?? Maybe that makes it better?

*****

** _"I wish I could believe_ **

** _You'd never wrong me"_ **

*****

It was a while before Sakura and Naruto were able to go back outside the village for a date-- Naruto had his training, and Sakura worked fourteen hour shifts back to back at the hospital for weeks at a time. Damn foolhardy shinobi. They were  _ always _ getting maimed, and it was  _ always _ Sakura's job to patch the worst of them up.

At any rate, they did eventually go back to the restaurant. Twice, in fact. Neither time had they seen Sasuke. Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't there, but if he was, he went to great lengths to disguise himself. Naruto had been crestfallen the first night they'd returned, and positively morose the second time. The third time, Sakura didn't know what he was expecting-- she had already written Sasuke off for good. After about ten minutes of them staring miserably down at their food, Sakura slammed her fork down, startling Naruto.

"Sa… Sakura-chan," Naruto spluttered, flinching at her sudden movements. "What's the matter?"

"I, for one, refuse to sit here any longer," she huffed, standing up and crossing her arms. "We've waited and waited for him, and what for? To come and sit here, not knowing whether he's there or not? I think that's fucking ridiculous. I want to dance and get so drunk that I can't find my way back to Konoha. Whether or not you decide to come along is up to you, but I won't be kept waiting by some back-stabbing, stuck-up  _ prick _ that thinks the world owes him something."

Naruto's smile only got wider the longer Sakura spoke, and he was all too happy to agree.

"Damn right, Sakura-chan," he grinned, his expression fierce. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Not too far from the restaurant was a pretty nice club that both Naruto and Sakura found agreeable, so as soon as they could, they got a waiter's attention, paid for their food, and headed across the block, ready to rip up the town. On their way over, Sakura got the feeling that they were being followed, but after a quick scan of the area, she wrote it off as typical shinobi paranoia.

(Or, at least, she pretended to. True shinobi paranoia, unfortunately, doesn't ever actually go away.)

  
  


***

  
  


For all Sasuke's plotting and planning, he hadn't actually considered the fact that he might turn craven every time he got within three feet of his new, self-designated targets. 

Of course, Sasuke had begun to think of this-- of  _ them _ \-- as somewhat of a mission. He didn't really know much else in life, and it was easier to be objective when he could step away from the trees (his feelings for Sakura and Naruto) and see the forest (Naruto and Sakura has whole people, as shinobi), so to speak. But with this 'mission' in particular, his feelings-- and the way in which he expressed them-- were of paramount importance, so the comparison didn't work quite as well as he'd hoped in the actual application of the strategy he'd had in mind.

(After all, any strategy that didn't involve elaborate genjutsu did, in fact, involve him actually being able to approach the two of them.)

It was endlessly frustrating, this fear of Sasuke's. The worst part about it was that Naruto and Sakura had made it  _ so easy.  _ Initially, Sasuke was worried that they wouldn't come back, that he would have to seek them out himself-- or worse, that they'd alert Tsunade to his presence and trigger another abrupt move that would undoubtedly take him farther away from Konoha-- but they hadn't. Instead, a week or so later, they'd walked into the restaurant he'd been waiting for them at and, just as happily as they had the first time, sat at the same table (with an extra chair, he'd noted). Sasuke had every intention of approaching them that night, but something stopped him. It was like something seized him by the throat, squeezing the courage out of him as fast as he could muster it, and he didn't make it to the table.

And so he'd waited for another opportunity. Surely, they were seeking him out--they had to be-- so they would be back at the same time and place next week. Sasuke told himself he'd do it then, that he was only getting cold feet because he was just getting reaccustomed to seeing them, that the next time would be different because he'd be more prepared.

He was wrong. That week went just the same as the last.

It was an extremely fortunate thing that Naruto was as persistent and stubborn in everyday life as he was in battle-- they eventually came again, and Sasuke was ready. He was calm, cool, and confident, and there was no reason that he couldn't accomplish this one tiny task. Seriously, he was the last surviving member of the famed Uchiha clan, for crying out loud-- if he couldn't do it, no one could. However, he did decide to wait until both Naruto and Sakura had received their food to make his move-- that way it would be less convenient for them to leave, since they'd been waited on-- and then he reconsidered, wondering how badly his outfit would stain if things went awry. 

_ When they're finished eating,  _ he told himself, watching Naruto watch his food instead of eat it.  _ Then I'll go to them.  _

Except, he didn't get the chance. Sakura stood up, announced that she was leaving (and something about back-stabbing and drinking and dancing? Sasuke couldn't tell from where he was hiding), and promptly did just that, with Naruto trailing happily behind her. As though he were a man possessed, Sasuke leapt to his feet and followed them out, perhaps a little too closely for their comfort, judging by the wary look Sakura wore, as they made their way to the club across the street. 

_ I have to do it now or I never will _ , Sasuke told himself, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails dug crescent-shaped holes in his hands.  _ This is probably the last chance I'll ever get to be this close to them. _

Determined and grappling with his fear every step of the way, Sasuke made his way to the dancefloor, assuming that would be the first place Sakura would choose to go. 

Once again, Sasuke was wrong. 

Instead, Naruto ordered drinks for the both of them at the bar, and they sat and drank for a while, loosening up and laughing with one another.  _ God,  _ how beautiful Naruto was-- golden skin, strong jaw, and perfect sapphire eyes. Sakura complemented him well, all pale skin and pretty blushes and eyes of emerald green. Joy looked good on them, and, not for the first time, Sasuke wondered if they would be just as happy if he were in the picture. 

_ There's only one way to find out _ , a smug voice in his head offered as Sakura finished her drink and pulled Naruto to the dancefloor. 

And so Sasuke decided to take the plunge. 

Admittedly, it was a little less subtle than he'd planned for it to be. Sasuke was learning very quickly that plans tended not to work so well when it came to matters of the heart. In any case, he probably shouldn't have just grabbed a handful of each of their asses without anticipating some resistance, but he figured that ultimately, their reaction would have been much the same to that as it would have been to anything else Sasuke-related, so why not have one last squeeze before he was yeeted into eternity?

As it turned out, it was Naruto who put forth the first display of violence this time. Eyes flashing red, he grabbed Sasuke by the throat--  _ oh,  _ the things that did to him-- and was no doubt ready to snarl some rebuke when he realized just who it was that he had in his iron grip. 

Those lovely sapphire eyes went wide, and Naruto seemed to choke on the air he was breathing. 

"Sasuke-kun," he breathed, looking as though he'd discovered another wonder of the world, but never relaxed his grip on Sasuke's throat. 

(Really though, now was not exactly the time to pop a boner, but damn if Sasuke wasn't aroused by the sheer strength Naruto displayed.)

"Naruto," he wheezed, glancing over to where Sakura stood. "Sakura."

Oh boy. If  _ that _ wasn't the wrong thing for him to do, he'd hate to see what an actual misstep would cost him. 

As fast as thought, Sakura shoved Naruto aside, breaking the Jinchuriki's grip on Sasuke, and slapped him hard across the face. Sasuke saw it coming a mile away, but he stood still and let himself feel the crack of her hand against his face. 

"You're too familiar," she snapped, staring him down with a glare that could kill a small animal, and possibly maim a child.

Despite himself-- by anyone's measure, Sasuke should have been groveling instead of being snarky-- he snorted. 

"My apologies,  _ Haruno-san _ , but I don't recall you using any honorifics the last time you rode my cock."

That earned him another smack, this time backhanded. Sakura was not, however, hitting him with the full force of her strength, so that had to be a good thing, right? 

"The person I did that with is long gone," she replied maliciously. "And I don't know who the hell you think you are, bringing up a past you obviously know nothing about."

"Sakura," Naruto chided gently, touching her elbow. "We came here for him."

"Yeah, several  _ weeks  _ ago, we did," she retorted venomously. "And here we've obviously been kept waiting just so we could be fondled for his enjoyment."

This was a  _ disaster _ . A thousand and one phrases flew through Saskue's head, a billion courses of action presenting themselves to him all at once, until he finally thought  _ just fuck it _ and kissed Sakura directly on the mouth. 

Surprisingly, she fisted her hands in his hair and kissed him back with the ferocity of a tigress instead of putting her fist through his face. Naruto, ever intuitive, moved behind Sasuke and hugged him close from the back, peppering tender kisses along Sasuke's neck. Eventually, Sasuke was able to pull away from Sakura long enough to steal a kiss from the Jinchuriki, and that gave Sakura (ever the level-headed one) time enough to make the call that Sasuke had been dreading.

"We need to talk," she sighed, her eyes shining with an unreadable emotion. 

Sasuke bit back a groan. Sakura was right, of course-- they  _ did  _ need to talk. Thing was, talking made everything so much more difficult than it needed to be. It was obvious that the three of them wanted each other, maybe even  _ needed _ each other… so why couldn't they just do what they'd always done and pretend like none of the shit that separated them ever happened? Talking gave Sasuke more ways to screw up, more chances to make things worse instead of better, but if it was what Sakura and Naruto wanted… well, he was in no position to deny them anything. 

"I'm staying at an inn a couple blocks down," he offered, and Naruto nodded his approval. Sakura shrugged, and motioned for him to lead the way. 

_ So far so good,  _ Sasuke thought as they walked out into the cool night air.  _ Not even one tiny attempt at homicide. It's progress at least.  _

  
  


***

  
  


Naruto was in mild shock. 

He couldn't believe what was right in front of his eyes. In a moment of foolishness, he formed the signs to dismiss a genjutsu, but nothing changed because  _ this was no genjutsu _ . Sasuke was really here. With Naruto and Sakura. And they were going back to Sasuke's rooms--  _ Sasuke _ , who had just kissed him-- to talk. What a hell of a thing.

The inn that Sasuke was staying at wasn't at all discrete-- in fact, it was less of an inn and more of a resort. Everything was bright and luxurious, and Naruto wondered how in the hell he could afford such a nice place with no income. Soon enough, that question was answered-- when they arrived at the door, Sasuke picked the lock and closed it after letting Sakura and Naruto in, but not before placing a complex and rather excessive amount of barriers on the entrance. 

"Just in case," Sasuke shrugged, noticing the bewildered expressions on his companions' faces. 

Without another word, the three of them made themselves at home. Sakura seated herself in the rolling office chair at the desk that Naruto chose to sit on top of. Sasuke situated himself cross-legged on the bed, facing the other two. Naruto didn't necessarily like this arrangement-- it felt too much like looking at the opposing team captain of a dodgeball game-- but he supposed it would have to do. After all, once they'd cleared the air, things could go back to how they used to be… hopefully. 

"So," Sasuke began, clearing his throat. 

The tension in the room was so thick Naruto could have cut it with a kunai, but he was lost as to what he was supposed to say in a situation like this. Actually, he'd never even imagined that this was how it was going to go-- Naruto always thought that the three of them would have to blow each other to bits before they could reconcile. Given that, he'd spent all his time training to kill, not learning to talk about his feelings. Besides, he was a shinobi, he wasn't supposed to have feelings anyways. 

Luckily, Sakura had that base covered. With remarkable strength, she faced Sasuke without wavering and began what would become something of an inquisition. 

"Why did you leave?" she demanded, crossing her arms.

"Tch. You know why I left," Sasuke replied, voice clipped. "Konoha couldn't teach me anything more."

"That's a lie, but also not what I was asking," Sakura clarified. "I meant why did you leave  _ us _ ."

Naruto nodded, watching Sasuke carefully. Sakura was damn good at this feelings stuff.

"You would have tried to make me stay."

Sakura snorted. "We did that anyways."

It was Sasuke's turn to cross his arms, stubborn as ever. "Yes. It was foolish on your parts. You couldn't have stopped me with a thousand shinobi backing you."

"It was  _ human _ on our parts," Sakura snapped, standing suddenly, her expression menacing. "And you won't disrespect me with that smug, smart-ass mouth again or I'll punch a hole in the wall and make an exit that I don't have to walk by you to get to"

Sasuke held up his hands, a gesture of apology, and Sakura sat back down, still simmering. Naruto hadn't realized he'd stopped holding his breath until he'd begun breathing again. 

"So you didn't leave us because you didn't love us?" Naruto interjected, hoping to bring things back to a civil discussion. 

"I never said I loved you."

That hurt, and deeply. Sakura snarled and made to stand, but Sasuke raised a hand again, and she waited for him to continue.

"But that's not why I left, no," Sasuke sighed. "It was what it was-- no more and no less."

" _ Do _ you love us?" 

Up until now, Sakura had been just plain angry and maybe a little bitter, but the way she asked that question shattered something inside Naruto. Her voice was small and fearful, and her hands gripped her knees so tightly they were in danger of bruising. 

Sasuke, usually stoic and unreadable, looked genuinely distraught. 

"Sakura, Naruto…" he seemed to struggle with his words, chewing on the inside of his cheek. 

Frustration welled inside Naruto's chest, and it was his turn to snap. "It's a simple fucking question Sasuke, it doesn't take that much thought. You either do or you don't."

"It isn't that simple, you asshole, not for me!" Sasuke growled, enraged. His hands shook with emotion, and he began to rant. "You ask me if I love you-- I don't even know what love is! Would I die for you? Naruto, I took a couple hundred senbon for you. I think that's abundantly clear. Would I kill for you? Without question. Sakura, I would have ended that guy in the chunin exams for hurting you if you hadn't stopped me. Is that love? Killing or dying?"

"No," Naruto replied, eyes downcast. "No, that isn't love, Sasuke. This is the real question-- would you live for us?"

Sasuke's dark brows narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Sakura glanced over at Naruto, and he saw that she understood. Naruto gave her a nod of approval, and she looked back at Sasuke with tenderness and understanding. 

"If you were in a situation where there seemed to be no hope," she began, leaning back into her chair. "Would you find a way to come home to us?"

It was silent for a long while. Sasuke seemed to be seriously considering it. 

"I haven't really thought about anything other than avenging the death of my family since I was a child. I have lived for vengeance my whole life." Sasuke looked back and forth between Naruto and Sakura, as if unsure where to look. "But if there were no clan, if there was no Itachi…"

The pause seemed to last forever. Naruto's stomach was in knots and his heart was pounding in his chest. What if Sasuke said no? What were they going to do then? Was everything he'd ever thought the three of them were all in his head? What if--

"Yes. I would live for you. And if that is love… then yes, I love you."

Naruto's heart leaped for joy, and he saw Sakura smile out of the corner of his eye. Sasuke looked somewhere between relieved and in pain, but somehow, everything felt better.

"Okay," Sakura exhaled, standing up. "I think that only leaves one more thing, but… I don't think I can ask that of you right now, and even if you agreed… I don't think I could believe it."

Sasuke scooted to the end of the bed, taking one of Sakura's hands in his own. It was a beautiful picture, in Naruto's eyes-- two of the loveliest creatures he'd ever seen, hand in hand, who  _ loved  _ him. They looked like two fae, glowing and ethereal, but it was the words that came next that made it the most wonderful.

Serious and sincere, Sasuke said, "You can ask anything of me and I wouldn't think it unfair, Sakura-chan. What would I tell you that you wouldn't believe?"

"That you would never wrong us, never betray us for… for your master."

Sasuke cracked a grin. "Oh no, never."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, never? You practically already have, it's just a matter of time until--"

Swiftly, Sasuke grabbed her shoulder and reached out a hand to Naruto, connecting the three of them just like old times. 

"I have found that I need you much more than I thought… and Orochimaru understands more than you might think." Sasuke's eyes were bright and sharp, and his grin was just a little bit wicked. "I do what I have to in order to obtain the power that I need, that much is true, but that is my only ambition. Soon enough, he and I will come to odds, but until then, he will play his games as I play mine, and I intend to be the better player when all things are said and done. He needs my cooperation, and in case you haven't noticed, things have been quiet around Konoha concerning him."

Slowly, Naruto nodded, beginning to understand. 

"I can't kill Itachi if I'm hosting Orochimaru," Sasuke confirmed, pressing a kiss to the inside of Naruto's wrist. "And that vengeance has fueled me for  _ years _ . Do you think I would let go of it that easily? I'm not his puppet, he just thinks I am, and if I want the leaf village to stay intact, then it  _ stays _ \-- and you two along with it." 

Fiercely, Naruto pulled Sasuke off the bed and into a three-way embrace with Sakura, who had begun to cry just the tiniest bit. It felt so good just to hold both of them again, to be this close and not feel killing intent-- it was absolutely perfect. 

"I love you," Naruto murmured into Sasuke's neck, feeling a tear roll down his own cheek. "And I missed you."

"I missed you too," Sasuke replied, squeezing them a little tighter. "Both of you."

Squished between them, Sakura pressed a kiss to Sasuke's throat, then Naruto's collarbone, and all three of them made a silent decision to move things to the bed so that they could be closer still, and enjoy this small moment with each other.

For one grim moment, though, Naruto remembered that in the morning, he and Sakura would need to be back in the village, leaving Sasuke here. Their time was perilously short, and leaving would feel like losing Sasuke all over again… but at the same time, they needed to enjoy what little time they had, so Naruto just inched closer to his loves and pushed the doubt and fear out of his mind to embrace what little that he had. 

While the three of them were together, nothing else mattered. The world could burn to the ground for all Naruto cared, just so long as he was with Sasuke and Sakura. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that smut tag? Yeah the next chapter is prolly gonna cover the need for that pretty well....


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut as promised... enjoy!!!

****

*****

** _Then will you remember_ **

** _Me in the same way_ **

** _As I remember you?_ **

*****

Sasuke tried to repress the urge to wake his companions, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle as long as Sakura's ass was pressing against his dick and Naruto's dick was pressing against  _ his _ ass. Spooning was fantastic, of course-- Sasuke loved being the Uchiha middle of this particular shinobi sandwich-- but when he hadn't gotten any for so long and was squished between his lovers, it was hard to be content with just cuddling. Traitorously, his mind recalled the way Naruto used to scrape Sasuke's lip with his teeth, and grip his hips with strong, unrelenting hands… and Sakura's positively  _ sinful _ look just before she did something filthy like suck Sasuke's balls like they were her favorite candy. He wondered if they remembered him the same way he remembered them. 

_ Fuck _ .

There would be no sleep for him tonight. 

"You know, if you're horny, you should just say so."

Naruto's voice was scratchy with sleep and  _ intimately _ close to Sasuke's ear, and Sasuke's brain chose that moment to realize that Sakura's breathing wasn't quite even enough for sleeping, and that she had been  _ purposefully  _ pressing her ass against him. Miffed and a little embarrassed, Sasuke only huffed in response.

"Stubborn bastard," Naruto chuckled without venom, and he reached around to grab Sasuke's length and give him a little squeeze. "Always so proud-- I shouldn't let you have anything from me just to see if you'd get desperate enough to swallow all that pride, but frankly I'd rather watch you swallow my load. I haven't exactly been very  _ active  _ since you left… "

Shameful joy lept in Sasuke's breast at that. Knowing that there hadn't been anyone else shouldn't have made a difference-- Sasuke didn't own either of them-- but the entire Uchiha clan were known for their jealousy and territorial tendencies. It was an unfortunate truth that Sasuke would very much like to rip the throat out of  _ anyone  _ that so much as  _ thought _ of Naruto or Sakura in a way he didn't like. They both knew that, though, so it was fine. 

And the fact that there hadn't been anyone else for Naruto would have been great to know if Naruto's sentence had ended there.

"… unlike Sakura-chan."

"Oh my  _ God _ , Naruto, it was only a couple of dates," Sakura protested, flipping over to face Sasuke. "We had sex, felt nothing, and parted ways-- he's seeing Gaara now, you know."

Sasuke was trying very hard not to turn green, and he forced himself to breathe through his envy. "Who was it, Sakura?"

Pink tinged her cheeks, and Sakura mumbled something so quietly he couldn't hear.

"What?"

"She said Lee-kun," Naruto replied, and Sasuke felt bone-deep mortification. 

" _ No. _ "

"Oh yes," Naruto chuckled, clearly enjoying the fact that Sasuke was about to combust. 

"You can't be serious-- you let that-that  _ thing _ into your bed?" Sasuke tried to keep the mental images at bay, but all he could see was green spandex. "Sakura, he's not even a little bit attractive."

Sakura hmphed, but still maintained her blush. "He may not be a model, but his muscles are more prominent than yours  _ and  _ Naruto's, and his stamina is unmatched. Plus, he's  _ super  _ flexible -- and very kind. He was there for me emotionally as well as physically, you know."

The  _ "and you weren't"  _ remained unspoken, but Sasuke heard it anyways. 

"I never understood that though," Naruto frowned. He had never, ever been the jealous type, but there were apparently things that bothered him about it as well. That made Sasuke feel a little less foolish, at least."I was there, and you pushed me away."

Sakura looked away. "We didn't really talk for a while, Naruto, and every moment I spent with you reminded me of… you know." Of Sasuke's absence. "Then, when I wanted to patch things up, I thought you were with Hinata, so I decided that I should move on too."

All of this was so fucked up. Sasuke had been ready for sexytimes, but now he was sick with jealousy. Sakura must have seen it written all over his face, because she kissed him gently on the mouth, and cupped his cheek with her hand. 

"I never stopped loving you. Either of you." The tiniest of evil smirks made its way across her face. "Besides, as good of a lay as he was, I prefer my men much,  _ much  _ more rough-- remember, Sasuke-kun?"

Instead of replying, Sasuke fisted his hand in the pretty pink hair at the base of Sakura's neck and pulled, exposing her throat. She moaned as he ravished her neck, leaving a trail of hickeys wherever he went, just the way she liked. Likewise, Naruto let out a low chuckle and took Sasuke's earlobe into his mouth and ground his hardening dick against Sasuke's ass. After a moment, Sakura sat up, put Sasuke flat on his back, and yanked down his pants to free his erection. Sasuke hardly had time to take a breath before Sakura had swallowed him down, displaying the same happy talent she'd had before-- a lack of a gag reflex. 

Saskue saw stars. 

Naruto took the opportunity to claim Sasuke's mouth with positively  _ lewd  _ kisses that left their mouths wet and panting before moving behind Sakura to rip off her panties and play at her entrance with skilled fingers. The kunoichi moaned around Sasuke's cock, and Sasuke involuntarily thrust upwards, but Sakura never even flinched. In fact, she pulled off of Sasuke with a wet pop, grinned, and asked the million dollar question of the night. 

"Would you like to fuck my face while Naruto fucks my pussy?"

Sasuke and Naruto made eye contact, and it was a wonder that both of them hadn't passed out cold. Sasuke had forgotten just how filthy and direct Sakura could be, and he unthinkingly flexed open his Sharingan to capture the moment. Naruto's shocked but so  _ aroused  _ expression, Sakura's wet, bruised-looking lips-- yes, that was a memory he wanted to have forever. 

Sweetly, Sakura laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes."

In a flash, Naruto's pants were thrown across the room, and one of Sasuke's hands were fisted in Sakura's hair to hold her head in place while the other slipped into her shirt to tease her nnipples. It was intensely erotic, watching Naruto fuck Sakura as she deep throated Sasuke, and eventually they found a rhythm where one cock was entering her as another left. Sasuke wished it could last forever, but unfortunately, his balls had other plans in mind. He came swiftly and violently down his lover's throat only about three strokes before Naruto did, and Sakura, pleased with her handiwork, guided Sasuke down where she wanted him and rode his face (tasting of Naruto's cum) until she shuddered through her own orgasm. 

_ Why did I ever leave this?  _ Sasuke wondered to himself as Sakura collapsed flat on her back on top of Naruto, who rolled her over and squished her between himself and Sasuke. Lovingly, Naruto threw a long, tanned leg over Sakura and partially onto Sasuke, covering both of them with his warmth. It was the most perfect thing in all the world, and Sasuke knew now that his biggest regret would always be hurting them the way he had. 

Distantly, Sasuke wondered if Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had been like this once. Orochimaru was fucked up, everyone knew that, but Sasuke hadn't thought he was a fool-- and only a fool would leave something as perfect as this for anything.

****   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> k so literally I am having the WORLD'S WORST writer's block right now and I have NO IDEA where I wanna go with this fic. Any suggestions you guys could come up with would be appreciated-- if nothing else, some of the suggestions might get my brain rolling in the right direction, and I'll definitely give credit to anyone if I use their suggestion!


	8. Chapter 8

Leaving the next morning was more painful than taking a chidori through the chest. Naruto would know. The three of them hardly spoke a word-- they just clung to each other for dear life, and fought the urge to say damn the village, damn Orochimaru, damn Akatsuki, damn everyone else in the world but them. 

But they would meet again soon. They had promised. This time, they were going to do things right, consequences be damned. Love transcends time, space, and every other medium known to man-- though they would be apart for a while, they would always be together in their little house of memories. One day, that house would be a real one, made of brick and mortar, but for now, until they could be at peace, it would exist only in their minds. 

It wasn't Naruto's preferred arrangement, but he'd take it over the loneliness any day. 

"I love you," Sasuke told them.

"I love you," Naruto and Sakura replied.

And that's all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was so short.....I may make this a series, we'll see!


End file.
